Nine Down
by The Lonely Goatherd
Summary: Arizona views crossword puzzles as a hobby. Callie views them as a way to understanding more about Arizona's past. Set some time mid-Season 6, before BabyDrama 2010.


**Disclaimer: **I don't own Grey's Anatomy

**Summary: **Arizona views crossword puzzles as a hobby. Callie views them as a way to understanding more about Arizona's past. Set some time mid-Season 6, before BabyDrama 2010.

**Author's Note:** I should be working on my script, or two short-stories, or finding a second job. But I was watching some older Grey's eps the other day and couldn't help but notice that in some of the lunch scenes Arizona is working on crossword puzzles and then my little mind came up with this…so please enjoy the fluff.

**Nine Down-  
****-A Story**

There was no greater feeling than coming home after working a night shift.

Or so Callie Torres thought as the elevator to her building opened and the fifth floor welcomed her.

Callie sighed, slinging her purse higher up her shoulder as she stepped forward; the morning sun far too bright as it peeked through the window at the end of the hall. She rubbed her eye and stifled a yawn as she reached her apartment door, fumbling with the key to get it open.

Finally, the door creaked open.

And though she was exhausted, though she wanted nothing more to lie down and sleep, Callie could not help but smile at the sight that greeted her.

Sprawled out across the couch, covered by a mountain of blankets and pillows was Arizona; balancing a banana and pen in one hand and holding onto a folded newspaper in the other. Strewn about the coffee table were a neti pot, a half drunk glass of orange juice, tissues, empty bottles of water, and a dozen or so completed crossword puzzles.

She watched as Arizona scribbled an answer into her current crossword puzzle, as she took a concentrated bite of banana. No sooner had she finished swallowing was the blonde struck with a fit of coughs. She fought them off by turning her head into her shoulder and washing them down with orange juice. Barely missing a beat, Arizona returned to her crossword puzzle.

"What are you doing here?" Callie asked, breaking the silence of the room as she stepped forward and let the door close behind her.

Arizona's surprised eyes looked up and Callie could practically feel the fatigue emanating from them. "You've had me cooped up here the last three days, Calliope." She replied, her voice thick with congestion.

Callie's smile widened. Four days ago Arizona had been hit with a nasty cold, no doubt from the umpteenth number of children she worked with on a daily basis. Callie had insisted that the blonde stay with her while she was sick and Arizona hadn't missed a beat in agreeing.

The thought that Arizona had agreed, that she wanted Callie to help take care of her when she was feeling her worst, had set the Latina's heart soaring. Cristina had quickly left to stay with Owen, in fear of getting sick. And being left alone, really left alone for the first time since they had started dating, the future Callie had begun to imagine with Arizona was becoming clearer and clearer.

"I meant on the couch," Callie said, leaning over the back of the couch to place a kiss on Arizona's lips. The blonde turned her head up slightly in greeting, only to quickly turn away with a loud sneeze. Callie chuckled slightly and placed her waiting kiss on the back of blonde curls.

"When I left you last night, you were in bed. Where you've been _cooped up the last three days_."

Arizona sat forward, removing the pillows she had been leaning against and Callie filled the voided space. "I couldn't sleep," Arizona stated simply as she relaxed back into Callie's side.

Callie let her arm rest against the back of the couch, watching over Arizona's shoulder as she continued to work on her puzzle.

"So you spent the night working on crosswords?" Callie asked, poking her shoe at the carelessly thrown papers on the floor.

Against her Arizona nodded. "I've been so busy the past couple of weeks I'd been saving them all for a rainy day. Thought this was close enough."

"You've been so busy the past couple of weeks, you got sick." Callie pointed out.

Arizona hummed with quiet indignation. Callie smiled.

They fell into a comfortable silence. Callie watched over Arizona's shoulder as she continued to fill in the blank boxes on the page.

Callie had never understood Arizona's fascination with crosswords. Or anyone's fascination for that matter. When it came to puzzles, she would much rather work with pictures or numbers than words. But then again, she supposed her disinterest in them came from her inability to complete a puzzle. She never had been able to, no matter how hard she tried. And that fact alone was frustrating enough for her not to care whether she did them or not.

But Arizona. Arizona on the other hand loved them. Everyday she would buy a paper; searching through it until she found the puzzle. She'd tear out the only page that interested her and left the rest of the paper for Callie to read. And it had been that way since they had started their relationship.

When they had first started dating Callie had teased Arizona for her love of the puzzles. But not long after, they had spent a night playing Trivial Pursuit with Mark and Lexie. Arizona hadn't just won, she had left the other three in the dust; attributing every answer to her beloved puzzles.

Callie hadn't teased again.

"Finished," Arizona stated triumphantly, breaking Callie's thoughts as she set the completed puzzle and pen on her lap and finished her banana.

Callie smiled. "Let me see," she said, reaching around and grabbing the puzzle. Her eyes scanned the block, Arizona's penmanship dancing back at her. She laughed softly, shaking her head at Arizona's ability to come up with even the most difficult of questions. And then…

"You left one blank."

"Hm?" Arizona asked, already half asleep as she settled more into Callie's side.

"Nine down," Callie explained, holding the paper for both of them to see. "You left it blank."

Callie immediately felt Arizona tense against her side. "Well..um…yeah…I did…" She stuttered, followed by another sneeze.

"It's not finished."

Arizona fidgeted against her, trying to get more comfortable though Callie knew it would be impossible with the tension running through her. "I guess I just didn't know the answer."

"_Knee cap to Doc_," Callie read aloud. "Sweetie, if you don't know the answer to that then you caught something worse than a common cold. Plus, every other answer is filled in going across it, except in that column.""

Against her arm, Callie could feel Arizona's already hot face heat up even more and she was certain that it had nothing to do with the fever she had been running. She let out a long, slow breath. "It's just…just something I do."

Callie's eyes fell to the puzzle in her hand and the blank nine-down before she looked to the other puzzles surrounding them. She felt her confusion and curiosity grow as her eyes fell on each one. Each puzzle was complete, save for nine down. No matter the puzzle, no matter the clue, no matter the answer; nine down was left blank. The empty boxes a stark contrast to the filled-in ones surrounding them.

And as she looked Callie slowly began to recall the other puzzles she had seen Arizona complete. In every single one the same column of boxes had been left empty.

Callie wondered how she hadn't noticed it before.

"Wha—," Callie half asked, turning to look back at her girlfriend who was now sitting up, her feet folded beneath her. And Callie was surprised to find that she had been so wrapped in her own thoughts she hadn't felt the blonde move.

Arizona's eyes were wide, but the blue was trying to hide something, of that Callie could tell. Yet despite their secrecy, they were laced with a subdued happiness.

A smile of years passed.

Callie's brow furrowed at the sudden change in her girlfriend's demeanor. "I may be a little bit confused right now," Callie said with a shy, uncertain smile.

The smile in her eyes passed across Arizona's features, before it pulled slightly at the corner of her lips. And Callie felt the familiar pang of being the only person in the room who didn't get the joke.

Their eyes stayed connected for seconds longer before Arizona turned her head down and picked at a loose thread on the blanket in her lap.

"Charlie always did that one."

Callie felt her heart clench at Arizona's silent omission. It was rare that the blonde spoke of her deceased brother. It wasn't that she didn't want to talk about him or that she rather pretend he was still alive. She just didn't, not willy-nilly, not unless circumstances presented the need to; for it was still a sore spot even if the time since Charlie had gone had turned to years.

But each time she did speak of him, Callie felt her heart grow for Arizona even more. She had known, from the beginning, from the way she spoke of her family life at the hospital and amongst their friends, that Arizona only allowed such special information to be revealed to those she thought to be equally special.

"He did?" Callie asked, unable to stop her voice from dropping to a whisper.

Arizona looked up and nodded. "I started doing crosswords when I was in high school," she started, sneezing and coughing slightly. "Charlie thought it was nerdy, he used to give me a really hard time. Sort of like someone else," Arizona said with a small smile that Callie easily matched. "The first one I ever completed was really difficult. I spent an entire Saturday on the couch working on it. And I finally got down to one empty section. But one clue was giving me particular trouble."

"Nine-down?"

Arizona nodded her smile widening as her face filled with memory. "I don't remember what the clue was but it was tricky. Charlie came downstairs, took one look over my shoulder and gave me the answer. He thought he was so smart. And from then on I always asked him what the answer to nine down was, I tried to stump him. It never worked." Arizona shook her head and laughed. "He always knew the answer. No matter what the clue was, how long the word was. He always knew. It was kind of creepy, really."

Callie chuckled quietly, "I'm sure he had his ways."

Arizona snorted. "Of that I have no doubt. He wasn't _that_ smart." Arizona turned her head down again, she coughed and her body sagged from the fatigue of having been up all night. "I've never been able to fill in the answer, even when he was alive. When I was in med-school I called him everyday for the answer and if we didn't talk I …left it blank." Arizona sighed and scratched the back of her neck. "And now that he's gone, I just-can't."

Arizona sniffled, though from memories or sickness Callie could not tell. Without asking, though, she reached forward and grabbed the box of tissues off the table. She pulled a few and handed them to Arizona who took them with a grateful smile.

When she was finished, Callie spoke, "It was something special you shared, if it were me I'd probably—no, I know I would do the same," she said, running the back of her knuckle along Arizona's cheekbone.

"It's silly."

Callie shook her head. "No, it's sweet-and cute," she said, dropping her hand to hold Arizona's. "Just like you." She added for good measure, with a wide grin and a small wiggle of her brow.

Arizona laughed, loud and clear, sounding healthier than she had in days. And her joy became Callie's.

Their mirth slowed to nothing but quiet smiles and Arizona's gaze fell to their conjoined hands. Callie watched her as she studied their entwined fingers; her brow furrowing in astonishment and thought. Slowly, her gaze lifted. Brown meeting blue.

Callie had never seen Arizona look at her in the way she currently was. It was different and she couldn't describe the look in the blue eyes before her. She was thinking, of that Callie could tell, but the rest was an enigma. It was as if Arizona was looking at her for the first time.

Really, truly _seeing _her for the first time.

Finally, Arizona opened her mouth and Callie readied to hear what she had to say. But nothing came. The blonde shook her head and looked back down and Callie could have sworn she heard a whispered "stupid" escape her lips.

"What is it?" Callie asked, shaking their conjoined hands slightly.

Arizona shook her head again, a faint color blushing her cheeks. "Nothing."

"You can tell me anything, you know."

Arizona looked up again and once more they fell into silence as Arizona decided whether or not to share. Callie quirked her head to the side and smiled; welcoming whatever it was she had to say.

A slow smile slowly formed over Arizona's lips.

"I want you to fill it in. Fill them in," she said, motioning to the papers around them.

Of all the things Callie had wondered that Arizona might say, that had not been one of them. Her smile fell as shock filled her and she looked to her partner with wide eyes. "You—you want me to what?"

"I want you to answer them," Arizona said, her smile growing as she watched Callie begin to fidget.

Callie shook her head. "You don't—you just said that, it's something special that you and Charlie had. I didn't mean to make you think that I wanted you to change that," she rambled.

Arizona laughed again, her blue eyes filling with amusement. "Calliope," she said, effectively cutting Callie off from continuing to talk. "Charlie is gone. And if he can't fill in nine-down for me then-," she paused, clutching tighter to the hand she held. And Callie was certain she had never seen Arizona's eyes fill with so much honesty. "I love you. And I want you to be that person."

Callie felt her throat clench with emotion as her lips turned up in a smile. A smile wider than she could ever remember smiling. In their time together Callie had come to learn one great thing: Arizona Robbins was a strong woman. A strong woman who rarely let others support her. _She _was the support beam that people leaned on. And the fact that she was asking Callie to do this…

The action alone spoke louder than words ever would.

Without another word, Callie gathered the papers around them. Making a single, organized pile. She relaxed back into the corner of the couch. Arizona snuggled to her side once again, settling the blanket around them.

And they began.

Together, they worked through the puzzles as Callie filled in all of the empty nine-downs. One after another. She would start by looking at the clue given. And if she didn't know the answer she slowly finished the "across" that intersected it. Her penmanship stood out against Arizona's. Yet it worked. Fit and blended, despite its difference.

One by one she filled them in. And Arizona would laugh when she became stumped, no matter how obvious the answer was. But she continued to fill them in. And when they finished and settled to sleep together on the couch, Callie knew that her job had not yet ended. For she would continue to fill in nine-down tomorrow. And the day after. And the day after that.

For as long as Arizona needed her to.

_Fin_


End file.
